Understanding the Difference Between Google AdWords and Google AdWords Express

Every business knows that they need online advertising in order to reach their prospective customers these days. However, many companies do not know where to start, where to run ads and how much time and money it takes. The questions are endless.

These are very good questions that may affect your marketing strategy. I would like to walk you through the key differences between Google AdWords and Google AdWords Express so that you can choose which platform best suits the needs and goals of your business.

Let’s get started with the comparison between these two:

At a Glance:

                     Source: Google

Now, let me explain them in detail:

Google AdWords:

AdWords is an advertising option that gives you full control over your ad campaigns. You’ll also have access to additional ad formats, settings and features. For a more comprehensive Google Adwords guide, you can also read this article.

Benefits:

• AdWords gives you the ability to show up on Google.com, the Google Display Network, and Google Maps.
• If you are looking for aggressive online advertising, AdWords is the best place to be.
• For A/B Testing, AdWords is the way to go.
• In Google AdWords, you can set up conversion tracking through different mechanisms.
• Using AdWords, you set the keywords and this gives you the control to ensure that your ad only competes for high conversion probability keywords.
• Google AdWords covers all the geographical locations that you choose.
• Once you have set-up your account, you only pay when someone clicks.
• Google AdWords have special ad formats and detailed reporting.

Google AdWords Express:

AdWords Express is an advertising option for businesses that want to get started quickly. It’s ideal for business owners who don’t have a lot of time to manage their online advertising.

Benefits:

• If you don’t have enough time and resources, AdWords Express is a safe bet.
• This platform is ideal for small and medium-sized business owners.
• With AdWords Express, you can set a budget and based on your type of business, Google will come up with a list of keywords to trigger ads to drive traffic to your website or Google+ page.
• Minimal ongoing management and maintenance necessary.
• In Google AdWords Express, You have less control over your online ad campaigns
• AdWords Express is a Broad Match only platform. The regular version of AdWords enables you to select from Broad Match, Expanded Broad Match, Phrase Match or Exact Match.
• To run on AdWords Express, you don’t even need a website, as you can direct all of your ad traffic to your Google+ page for more information on your business.
• With Google AdWords Express, you only see thenumber of impressions your ad has received and the number of clicks. This is not conversion tracking.
• This platform reaches customers on any geographical location that you choose.
• Like Google AdWords, you only pay when someone clicks.
• This platform does not contain advanced ad formats.

To conclude, both platforms are quite similar in their features. However, at the same time, as you probably know Google AdWords is still Google’s main advertising tool, but after its success, Google launched AdWords Express in 2011 which was specifically designed for small businesses. As an advertiser, you need to decide which suits best for your business.

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